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May 17, 2012

Fiji Sun: Constitution best ever: (Interim) PM

Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, made the comment yesterday as he reassured the nation of a transparent constitutional process.

Speaking to the Fiji SUN at Dravo Village in Tailevu, Commodore Bainimarama said the new “Constitution will be the best ever”.

He has also called for public support towards the constitutional process.

Commodore Bainimarama advised the members of the public to make use of the opportunity provided in the making of the new Constitution.

“You must all come forward and voice whatever you want to be included in the new Constitution,” the Prime Minister said.

“Irrespective of our individual backgrounds, ethnicities, and religions, we must work together to make the new Constitution the best ever.”

In his meeting with the chairperson of the Constitutional Commission, Professor Yash Ghai, Commodore Bainimarama was told that the commission would handle the logistic challenges of ensuring the most comprehensive consultation process.

“I told him (Professor Ghai) that they must be in touch with all the people and the Government would help them on this.”

The Prime Minister said as the commission was preparing the logistics, members of the pubic should consider in advance the issues that they would bring to the consultations.

He said Government would like to make sure that the constitutional processes were “credible, transparent and prioritised the concerns of the people”.

“People should come forward without fear to make oral or written submissions.”

Commodore Bainimarama said political leaders had their own agendas on the formulation of the new Constitution, some were even pushing for the return of the abrogated 1997 Constitution.

“We cannot go back and we will move forward following the constitutional process already announced.”

He said the way forward was that every Fijian would be given equal treatment.